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Elihu continued speaking:
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“Let me go on, and I will show you the truth. For I have not finished defending God!
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I will present profound arguments for the righteousness of my Creator.
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I am telling you nothing but the truth, for I am a man of great knowledge.
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“God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.
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He does not let the wicked live but gives justice to the afflicted.
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He never takes his eyes off the innocent, but he sets them on thrones with kings and exalts them forever.
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If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble,
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he shows them the reason. He shows them their sins of pride.
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He gets their attention and commands that they turn from evil.
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“If they listen and obey God, they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant.
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But if they refuse to listen to him, they will cross over the river of death, dying from lack of understanding.
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For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help.
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They die when they are young, after wasting their lives in immoral living.
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But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.
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“God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food.
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But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged. Don’t worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.
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But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin.
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Could all your wealth or all your mighty efforts keep you from distress?
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Do not long for the cover of night, for that is when people will be destroyed.
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Be on guard! Turn back from evil, for God sent this suffering to keep you from a life of evil.
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“Look, God is all-powerful. Who is a teacher like him?
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No one can tell him what to do, or say to him, ‘You have done wrong.’
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Instead, glorify his mighty works, singing songs of praise.
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Everyone has seen these things, though only from a distance.
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“Look, God is greater than we can understand. His years cannot be counted.
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He draws up the water vapor and then distills it into rain.
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The rain pours down from the clouds, and everyone benefits.
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Who can understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunder that rolls forth from heaven?
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See how he spreads the lightning around him and how it lights up the depths of the sea.
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By these mighty acts he nourishes the people, giving them food in abundance.
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He fills his hands with lightning bolts and hurls each at its target.
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The thunder announces his presence; the storm announces his indignant anger.